2020 faculty

The 2020 Institute faculty will consist of experts in the field of liturgical music from around the country.

Paul H. Colloton, OSFS, D.Min. is a member of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales, Wilmington-Philadelphia Province and an Associate of the Dominican Sisters of Peace. Paul is the Priest Chaplain and Director of Campus Ministry for Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, OH. He served as the Director of Continuing Education for NPM for a little over thirteen years. Paul holds a D.Min. with a concentration in Word and Worship from Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. He has over 40 years experience in pastoral ministry as preacher, presider, liturgist, musician, educator, spiritual director, workshop presenter, retreat director, and author.

Rory Cooney is the director of liturgy and music at St. Anne Catholic Community in Barrington, Illinois. Previously, he served as director of liturgy and music at St. Jerome Catholic Community in Phoenix, Arizona, for eleven years. A composer with twenty recorded collections of liturgical music published by Oregon Catholic Press, World Library Publications, and GIA Publications, he has given workshops around the country with Gary Daigle and Theresa Donohoo on musical liturgy. For twenty-five years he was a member of teams presenting various institutes of the North American Forum on the Catechumenate on initiation rites and reconciliation in the Church. Rory also has published articles in Modern Liturgy, Today’s Parish, AIM, and Pastoral Music on practical and pastoral aspects of musical liturgy. He is also the author of a book of Lenten reflections, Change Our Hearts, and contributed to The Heart of Our Music, an essay collection by the Liturgical Composers Forum, edited by John Foley S.J. His songs are anthologized in most Catholic hymnals and missalettes. “Mass of St. Aidan,” part of the World Library collection Christ the Icon, won the 2006 UCMVA Unity award for Best Liturgical Song. He was the recipient of the Pastoral Musician of the Year award from the National Association of Pastoral Musicians at the 2014 convention in St. Louis.

Frank L. Crosio is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, where he was a student of Frederick Swann. He is a Fellow of the American Guild of Organists (FAGO) and a Fellow of Trinity College, London (FTCL). From 2006-2010 he served as Dean of the New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. He has also served the AGO as Regional Coordinator for Professional Development, and currently is a member of the Board of Examiners for the Professional Certification Committee and is the Education Coordinator for the Northeast Region of the American Guild of Organists. He has been a performer at regional and national conventions of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. Frank is currently Director of Music at the Garden City Community Church in Garden City, NY. Prior to that, he served as Director of Music at the Church of St. Patrick in Huntington, NY and St Ignatius Loyola in Hicksville, NY and accompanist for the Diocesan Choir and Schola for the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

Monsignor Joseph DeGrocco is a priest of the Diocese of Rockville Centre and is currently Pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Lindenhurst, NY. Formerly he was Professor of Liturgy and Director of Liturgical Formation at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, New York, and has also taught as a summer visiting professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. He earned a Master of Arts in Theology (Liturgical Studies) from the University of Notre Dame and a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception. Msgr. DeGrocco is the author of Guide to Celebrating Funerals; The Church at Worship: Theology, Spirituality, and Practice of Parish Liturgy; and A Pastoral Commentary on the General Instruction of the Roman Missal, all available from Liturgy Training Publications; Take and Eat: Living Eucharistically, from Catholic Book Publishing; has co-authored A Glossary of Liturgical Terms from LTP and A Ministry of Consolation: Involving Your Parish in the Order of Christian Funerals from Liturgical Press; writes the “Q & A” column in the journal Pastoral Liturgy; was a contributing author to Celebrating Good Liturgy: A Guide to the Ministries of the Mass; and has written introductions to several documents in The Liturgy Documents volumes published by LTP. For twenty-five years he was a member of the Diocesan Liturgical Commission for the Diocese of Rockville Centre. In addition to giving many parish talks and workshops in liturgy throughout his own and other dioceses, Msgr. DeGrocco is also part of a four-priest Parish Mission team.

Christopher Ferraro is the Director of Music at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Lindenhurst, NY. He also serves as Director of the Liturgical Music Institute at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, Huntington, NY. He is a member of the Diocesan Liturgical Commission, is a consultant and presenter for the Office of Worship and the Office of Faith Formation for the Diocese of Rockville Centre and served for four years as the director of the Rockville Centre Chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions and is a member of the NPM Council and chair of the Pastoral Liturgy Interest Section for NPM. Mr. Ferraro holds Masters Degrees in Theology and Pastoral Studies as well as an Advanced Certificate in Pastoral Liturgy from the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington, NY and is certified as a Director of Worship through the Alliance for the Certification for Lay Ecclesial Ministers. He also attended the SummerSong program and studied in the liturgical studies program at the University of Notre Dame. He has had articles published in AIM: Liturgy Resources (WLP), GIA Quarterly (GIA), Pastoral Liturgy (LTP) and Pastoral Music (NPM). He has also been a contributing author to the following books published by Liturgy Training Publications: Guide for Celebrating Holy Week and the Sacred Paschal Triduum, Sourcebook for Sundays, Seasons and Week and United in Christ: Preparing the Liturgy of the Word at Catholic Weddings (LTP). He co-authored Guide for Celebrating the Liturgy of the Hours.

Raymond Henderson has served as a director of liturgical Music since 1981. For the past twelve years he has directed liturgical music in the parish of Our Lady of Hope, Carle Place, New York. He conducts a successful repertoire of both English and Latin liturgical chant, with a specialty in congregational participation. Mr. Henderson is a professional organist, playing for the past twelve years under the guidance of Dr. Walter Hilse of the Manhattan School of Music. He is past Dean of the Suffolk, New York, Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Relating to Chant, Mr. Henderson, studied under the direction of Fr. Columba Kelly, OSB, of St. Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad, Indiana. He has also studied at the Abbey of St. Peter, Solesmes. France. Other Chant studies include work with Dr. Robert Fowells, William Tortolano, Peter Bausch, the Archdiocesan School of Liturgical Music, New York. Mr. Henderson serves on the steering committee of the local chapter of the National Pastoral Musicians. He holds a BS in music education from Hofstra University, an MA in music composition, choral conducting, and organ performance, from the C.W. Post College, Long Island University, and an M.Div. from the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception of New York in conjunction with the Loyola Pastoral Liturgical Institute, NYC.

Susan Hugelmeyer has a busy career which is equally divided between work in liturgical music, teaching and performing. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Ms. Hugelmeyer is also a certified Somatic Voicework™ instructor. She has worked as a cantor, conductor and Director of Music for parishes throughout the Diocese of Rockville Centre, as well as a cantor in the Diocese of Brooklyn and the Archdiocese of New York. As a soprano soloist, Ms. Hugelmeyer has performed in music festivals in Europe and the United States as well as in Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, the “Listening Room” on WQXR and CBS Records. Ms. Hugelmeyer performs regularly as a recitalist with pianist and collaborator Jonathan Bley and with the Gold Coast Chamber Ensemble. She appears in opera aria and scenes concerts throughout the tri-state area and is a frequent soloist with area choral societies. She is director of Singing Star School of Vocal Arts and is the director of the Rockville Centre Chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. Ms. Hugelmeyer is a regular speaker/presenter at workshops and meetings for cantors, choral singers and music directors in the art of liturgical music performance for the various dioceses in the tri-state area.

Keith Kalemba was born and raised in New Jersey. Keith’s formal composition studies began in 1990, when he attended a student composition intensive at Westminster Choir College. He received a Bachelor of Music in Composition from Temple University, where he studied with Maurice Wright and Matthew Greenbaum, as well as piano with Charles Abramovic. He received his Master of Music in Composition from Temple, where he was a graduate fellow and taught computer music. His first experience of Catholic music ministry was as choir director for the Temple University Newman Center for four years. He was a delegate to the 1994 World Youth Day celebration in Rome, at which he represented the Catholic Campus Ministry Association at the Papal liturgies. He joined the editorial staff at World Library Publications in 2001. As a music editor, his responsibilities include editing of octavos, songbooks, and instrumental music. He lends his production and performance skills to various WLP recordings. His sacred compositions are published by WLP. He is on the music staff of St. John of the Cross of Western Springs, Illinois and formerly of Ascension Church in Oak Park, Illinois. Keith has been a member of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians since 2001 and has presented composition and theory workshops at several national conventions. He is currently the chapter director of NPM Chicago.

Matthew Koraus is an accomplished composer, organist, and tenor, presently serving as the Director of Music Ministries for the Church of St. Patrick in Huntington, NY. He is also an adjunct professor of music at Hofstra University, NY. He has written an extensive amount of sacred music for both liturgy and concert, and a number of his liturgical works are published by CanticaNOVA Publications. Matthew holds the Master of Music degree in Composition from Manhattan School of Music, where he studied composition with Mark Stambaugh, and organ with Walter Hilse. Additionally, he holds the Bachelor of Science degree in Music Theory and Composition from Hofstra University, where he studied with Chandler Carter, David Lalama, Gregory Mercer, and Sonia Grib. His initial organ studies were with Michael Bower, of St. Agnes Cathedral, Rockville Centre, NY. Matthew also holds the Fellowship Certification from the American Guild of Organists, and was the 2013 winner of both the Fellowship Prize and the S. Lewis Elmer Award offered by the Guild. He also holds the Guild’s Choir Master Certification and was the 2015 winner of the Choir Master Prize. He recently served as dean of the Suffolk Chapter AGO. Matthew was a finalist in the 2014 National Competition in Organ Improvisation, and won the First Prize of the 2015 University of Michigan Improvisation Competition. Matthew is a highly sought-after tenor, having worked with choirs at such Manhattan institutions as the Church of Saint Agnes, 43rd Street, the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, and Saint Thomas Church, Fifth Avenue. He is a founding member of the vocal quartet VOX AQUARUM.

Lisa Evard Kelly is Director of Music at Our Lady of the Snows, Floral Park, NY and The Cathedral Seminary Residence in Douglaston, NY. Having earned a B. A. in Music at Queens College, she continued to study organ with William Whitehead, piano with Dr. David Gagne and harp with Jean Goldstein. Lisa is co-founder and artistic director of “Musical Themeworks”, a cultural enrichment program for children. As a free lance harpist, Lisa performs regularly with a chamber ensemble, “Trio Fantasie.” The trio, an elegant combination of harp, cello and flute, recently performed at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center with the Glenn Mohr Chorale. In October, 2009, Lisa travelled to Rome and was organist at three basilicas: St. Mary Major, St. Paul Outside the Walls and St. John Lateran for the Masses celebrating the canonization of St. Jeanne Jugan. Also a music educator, Lisa teaches grade K-8 at St. Joseph School in Garden City and gives piano, organ and harp lessons privately. Lisa is a member of the music commission for the Diocese of Brooklyn.

John J. Miller serves the Archdiocese of Newark as the Director of Music Ministries for the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Music Coordinator for the Office of Worship, Artistic Director of the Cathedral Concert Series, and chapter director for the Newark Chapter of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. As a frequent recitalist and clinician, John is in demand as both a performer and clinician in the areas of choral conducting and organ performance. He maintains a busy schedule of concerts and workshops as a speaker in the field of liturgical music. As both an active choral conductor and organist, his European performances have taken him to Rome, Venice, Leipzig, Prague, Salzburg, and Vienna. Locally he has been featured as solo organist as well as a guest conductor with the New Jersey Symphony, and is the conductor of the Cathedral Symphony and Chorus. Recent engagements include conducting chorus and full orchestra in performances of Beethoven NINTH SYMPHONY, Mendelssohn ELIJAH, Verdi REQUIEM, Duruflé REQUIEM, as well as a fully staged production of Poulenc’s DIAGLOGUES OF THE CARMELITES. He is also featured as conductor on the recordings “With Songs of Jubilation” under the GIA label, and “A Christmas Carol Sing” under the Pro Organo label, and “Salve Mater” under the DMAS label. Mr. Miller holds a Bachelor Degree of Music, cum Laude, in organ performance and sacred music at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, where he was the first recipient of the Jean Langlais Sacred Music Award. He graduated from Westminster Choir College (Princeton) with a double Master of Music degree with distinction in organ performance and choral conducting. Additionally, he was awarded the highest honor from the American Guild of Organists with the conferring of the Fellowship Certificate. John was given the honor of “Full-time Pastoral Musician of the Year” in 2001 by the National Association of Pastoral Musicians. He is co-author of the publication: A Qualifications Statement and Bibliography for the Parish Musician, published by the National Association of Pastoral Musicians.

Mike Novak holds degrees in theology from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. He works as Parish Resources Editor at J. S. Paluch Company, where he is responsible for numerous print and online resources produced to assist parishes with their Sunday bulletins and other publications. For more than forty years, Mike has cantored at parish, diocesan, and national celebrations, including more than ten years at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Milwaukee. He has trained cantors and conducted cantor workshops in four dioceses, for the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM), and as a faculty member at LMI. He is the author of Called to be Your Song: Prayers for Cantors, published by World Library Publications (WLP) in 2010. Mike is a former director of the Office for Prayer and Worship for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, and directed the Men’s Choir at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist for six years. He is a past member of the national board of directors of the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions, and has written articles that have appeared in Ministry and Liturgy, Catechumenate, AIM, and Prayer & Worship.

Steve Warner Steve Warner (B.A. in Religious Studies, St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont, 1977; M.A., Liturgical Studies, University of Notre Dame, 1980) is the Founder and Director Emeritus of the Notre Dame Folk Choir and current Associate Director of the Notre Dame-Newman Centre in Dublin, Ireland. Mr. Warner joined the Campus Ministry staff at Notre Dame in 1979, and continued in that department for more than thirty-five years, before moving to Ireland. The Folk Choir, begun in 1980, started with eight vocalists and no library; by his departure in 2016 it was an endowed ensemble of more than sixty singers and instrumentalists, their repertoire spanning all styles and languages: African, Mexican, French, Irish. Their extensive tours spanned the United States, Canada, Australia, England Scotland and Ireland – the latter a country to which they returned frequently. Their repertoire series, “Songs of the Notre Dame Folk Choir,” began their first publications with World Library Publications of Chicago, IL. By the time of his departure it comprised about one hundred musical selections. Contributors to the series included the late Rev. Chrysogonus Waddell, ocso, former choirmaster of the Abbey of Gethsemani; and the Assistant Director of the Folk Choir, Ms. Karen Schneider-Kirner. Two mass settings, the Mass of Charity and Love and the Mass for Our Lady, have become part of the national landscape. In 2016 Steve became Associate Director of the newly established Notre Dame-Newman Centre for Faith and Reason, taking up stewardship of music and liturgy at St. John Henry Newman’s University Church on Saint Stephen’s Green, in the heart of Dublin, Ireland. The choir he founded, the Newman Vocare Ensemble, releases their first album with GIA Publications in the spring of 2020.